Curio

State Library of New South Wales
The Bowman Flag, 1806

The Bowman Flag, 1806

Oil paint on silk

XR 1


The Bowman Flag is believed to be the first flag designed and made in colonial Australia, and it is also the first known use of the kangaroo and emu as symbols of Australia.  The flag was probably designed by John Bowman and sewn by his wife, Honor, and daughter, Mary, in 1806 to fly at their farm Archerfield near Richmond, NSW. It was created to celebrate the victory of Lord Horatio Nelson and the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.  


The unofficial coat of arms

The shield features the English Rose, Scottish Thistle and Irish Shamrock, representing the local colonist's origins.  


Nelson’s motto

The motto is Nelson's famous signal to engage the combined French and Spanish fleet: England expects that every man will do his duty.